The Descent of the Second Sun
by Naito Tenshi
Summary: My first serious Trigun fanfic. Vash has made a sudden, mysterious change of heart. Surely there's something more to this than meets the eye. Continuing...
1. Prelude

The Descent of the Second Sun

Author: Naito Tenshi (Rachel C)

Genre: Action-Adventure/Drama

Rating: PG-13

Series: Trigun

Author's Notes: This is sort of an alternate universe fanfiction. The beginning of the series still applies, and they're still the same characters, but I'm taking the series in a different direction. Sort of a "what if" thing, you know? By this point, Vash has met up with Meryl, Milly and Wolfwood, as well as Legato. Where we come in, Vash has managed to wander off by himself. I'm not sure how long this will be, exactly where it will go, or what I may inadvertently spoil, so I wouldn't recommend reading this unless you've seen all of Trigun.

CHAPTER 1: Prelude

            The man in the red coat wandered through the desert. The twin suns shone bright and hot, and though the breeze was rare, when it did kick up, it stung his face with grains of sand. His right hand rose over his eyes as he glanced up at the suns, his sunglasses giving off a gold gleam. Judging by their positioning, it was early in the afternoon. Despite his sunglasses, he squinted at the light, and a tear snuck into one of his eyes. Looking down, he brushed it away with a finger, readjusted the weight of the bag on his back, and continued on his way. The terrain crunched softly under his boots, and once more the wind blew, the sand stinging his face. But he didn't mind. He was used to the conditions.

            How long had it been? Two hours? Three hours? No doubt the insurance girls would be coming after him soon. He shrugged it off. He didn't have much trouble shaking them off his trail, and if he tried, he was sure he could lose them for good. On the horizon, a town crept into view. It was still quite a way, but judging how far he had walked already, it was hardly a concern. He knew that he would find who he was looking for just outside this town… something just told him that he was near.

            'And where are you headed today, Vash the Stampede?' a familiar voice intruded upon his thoughts. Vash turned to see the one he knew was there. Crouched on a rock sat the voice's owner. He raised his head slowly, his right eye catching the sun for just a second, glittering gold. The other was forever covered in his deep, blue hair. He grinned as he set his sights on Vash.

            'If you're on your way to see him,' the voice droned on coldly through Vash's mind, 'I'd be more than happy to accompany you there.'

            Vash smiled and replied mentally, 'Yeah, I am. You can tell him I've come to help him.'


	2. Conversion

The Descent of the Second Sun

CHAPTER 2; Conversion

             The room was shrouded in darkness. Shadows danced upon all the walls, seemingly grotesque and malevolent. But they were just shadows; the true threat sat in the center of the room. His healing having been recently completed, he now found it quite satisfying to sit in his chair and stretch his limbs. At the moment, he was focused on polishing his jet black six-shooter. Even when the two men entered, he didn't look up.

            'Hello there, dear brother,' he mentally greeted the spiky-haired blonde cheerfully.

            'Hey, Knives,' came an equally cheerful reply, 'It's been a long time.'

            'That it has,' he smiled.

            "Well," Knives finally spoke out loud, laying aside his gun for the moment, "Is it true then, Vash? Have you truly come to join me?"

            "Yes," Vash responded.

            "Then at last you've seen the truth in my logic," Knives rose from his chair, grinning, "We must save the butterflies."

            Vash nodded, "So let's kill the spiders."

            Knives grinned wider and slowly stepped toward his brother, who smiled kindly at him.

            "It's good to have you back," Knives took Vash's real hand in both of his own, "brother."

            "And it's good to be back," voiced Vash.

            "Legato," Knives finally addressed the other in the room, "Prepare a room for my brother."

            "Yes, Master Knives," replied the blue-haired man as he left the room.

            "Vash," Knives turned back to his brother with a smile, "We will soon have our Eden."

            Vash smiled in response. His brother didn't seem to notice the emptiness of his smile.

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            "Come on, Milly! We've got to get going!" Meryl Strife was screaming at her partner, as she frequently did.

            "Sorry, Meryl!" came the ever-kind, ever-patient reply, "I guess I should really get this fixed better next time."

            They were in the middle of the desert, Meryl on her Thomas, Milly next to hers, picking up her stungun; the strap had broken… again.

            "We're already way behind Vash," Meryl complained, "We don't have time to be wasting."

            "I know, Meryl," Milly responded, "I'm sorry!"

            She was now climbing back onto her Thomas, holding the stungun as best she could with the strap broken.

            "I cannot believe that man!" Meryl ranted on, "Always wandering off like that. It's not as if we chose to be stuck around him all the time, we're just doing our job! He doesn't have to make it so difficult for us!"

            The roar of an engine disturbed Meryl's little fit and both the Thomases stopped as the insurance girls turned to see where it was coming from. Rapidly approaching was a motorcycle, carrying a certain, very familiar priest, and his conspicuous "luggage".

            "Mr. Priest!" called Milly to the approaching driver. The cycle came to a stop next to the girls and Wolfwood lowered his right foot to the ground to balance it.

            "Hey there, girls," Wolfwood greeted, "Where are you headed?"

            "After Vash… where else?" replied Meryl.

            "Ah, of course," replied Wolfwood, "Well, I don't know if it's the best idea."

            "It's not like we have a choice," Meryl complained, "It's our job. It's just what we do."

            "Well," Wolfwood said, "If you keep following him now, I think you'd be putting your lives at great risk. And I just wouldn't be able to live with myself if I let you two do that."

            "But, Mr. Priest," Milly spoke up, "I don't think Vash was ever the safest person to be around… and we've got to follow him, or else the chief is going to get really mad."

            "You're getting into dangerous territory," Wolfwood replied, "I really think you should turn back now, or there's no telling if you ever will."

            "But-" Meryl was about to protest, as Wolfwood put a hand up.

            "I've told you all I can," he spoke softly and solemnly, "I can't explain how or why I know this, but I'm just asking you to trust me. Please, listen to me. Don't follow Vash any longer. I wouldn't head into this area myself, either, but I've got a job of my own to do."

            Wolfwood revved his motorcycle and was off again, leaving the insurance girls coughing in a cloud of sand dust that he had kicked up.

            "What are you doing, Vash?" Wolfwood muttered to himself as he went on, "You know they'll kill you, unless you've come to help him... how are you going to get yourself out of this one? Damn it…"

            He sped towards the location… he knew they would be angry at him; he'd let Vash get away from him. He was supposed to bring Vash here… and yet, Vash had come on his own... maybe HE would be so busy dealing with Vash that he'd forget all about it. No… he wasn't the kind to forget.

To be continued…

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Okay, so that's the end of Chapter 2. ^_^ Sorry these are so short, I'll probably get to writing longer ones soon…

Anyway, I hope this fic isn't too bad so far… let me know what you think! I have some vague idea of where it's going, and I think I've got a loose grasp on the ending… oh well, guess I'll just see where the story takes me. Hope you guys enjoyed it, at least a little!


	3. Secrecy

The Descent of the Second Sun

CHAPTER 3; Secrecy

            Their footsteps echoed throughout the hallway as Legato led Vash towards the room that was to be his. Vash was well aware that since he had arrived, both his brother and his brother's minion had been carefully monitoring his thoughts, so he put a special amount of effort into making sure they read what they wanted to. Still, he couldn't hide that he became uncomfortable every time Legato chose to glare at him, and the suspicion with which the blue-haired man regarded him was proof enough of that. Knives, however, seemed both truly convinced and overjoyed at Vash's conversion, so Vash knew that for the time being, and as long as Knives remained convinced of his brother's loyalty, he was safe from whatever Legato was thinking of doing to him.

            "Your room," Legato stopped before a door and turned to face Vash, trying extremely hard to keep his expression blank, and added, nearly spitting it out, "Master Vash."

            Vash smiled, nodding, and slowly opened the door, stepping into the room. It wasn't so bad; no windows, for they were still underground, but pale blue lights installed above a ridge in the wall near the ceiling provided a pleasant, soft luminance. The walls were a light gray, and directly in front of the door, across the room, was a white couch. To the right was a bed, also dressed in white, and to the left, the door to the bathroom. Other than that, there was a simple gray dresser and a low gray table by the couch. It was simple, but functional.

            "Master Knives apologizes for the conditions," Legato spoke from the doorway, "But it was short notice."

            "I understand," replied Vash, turning to Legato and smiling, "This will do just fine for me."

            Legato smiled unkindly and responded lowly, "Yes… this had been my room." With that, he shut the door and was on his way. Vash sighed, partially in relief to be rid of Legato's unsettling presence, and partially from stress, wondering just what he was going to do next. He dropped his bag next to the door and walked across the room, flopping down on the couch and putting his feet up on the table. He felt Knives finally leave his thoughts alone, but Legato was still monitoring them. It was still a relief; it was much harder work hiding things from Knives' scans than Legato's, for Knives had an advantage being his brother, and the minion specialized in telekinesis rather than mind-reading.

            Abruptly, Legato withdrew from his search as well, and Vash knew something had arisen to distract him.

            'Vash,' came a mental call.

            'Yes, Knives?' Vash responded, quickly replacing any of his guard that he had let down.

            'We've got a guest I think you'd like to see. Why don't you come join us in the main room?'

            "Sure,' Vash replied, 'I'm on my way.'

            Vash rose from his seat and made his way to the door, then headed back to the main room the way he had come with Legato. He didn't know who could possibly be here that he would want to see, but he wasn't about to argue with his brother already.

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            "What do we do, Meryl?" Milly inquired of her partner. It had already been some time since Wolfwood had left them, and they hadn't moved from their current spot.

            "We don't have a choice," said Meryl at last, "We need to follow him. It's our job, and that's all there is to it."

            "But you heard what Mr. Priest said, Meryl," Milly objected timidly, "Don't you think we should listen to him?"

            "He did seem pretty serious…" Meryl commented, "But regardless of the risk, it is still our responsibility to follow him."

            "I know," Milly sighed, "And besides, the two of them might need our help!"

            "Right!" Meryl responded, clenching her fist, "So let's get going!"

            With that, the two gave their thomases a slight kick and were rapidly on their way across the dessert.

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            "You know," Knives spoke coldly to his guest, "I'm disappointed in you. But you put in such admirable effort, I think I'll let you die outright rather than sending you _there…"_

            There; the place between life and death. Knives' helpers were familiar with the threat; failure meant either dying or going _there. Those who met death were grateful._

            "After all," Knives continued, "You did do so very well… for a spider."

            The door opened slowly, and there stood Vash. When he set his eyes on the guest Knives had told him about, his features twisted into a mix of confusion, horror and shock.

            "…Wolfwood?" he finally articulated.

            His friend was staring back at him, his eyes full of sadness, and just a little confused to see Vash there.

            "Ah, brother," Knives greeted Vash, "So nice of you to join us. I believe our good friend the priest has something to tell you."

            "Wolfwood…" Vash spoke softly, his expression unchanged, "What's going on?"

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            The town was entirely empty when they arrived.

            "What happened here?" Meryl wondered aloud, "Where is everyone?"

            "Meryl…" Milly's voice was wavering as she spoke to her friend, "I don't like how this looks…"

            "Neither do I," responded Meryl, her voice full of trepidation, "Let's get out of here."

            The two turned their thomases to leave, but were greeted with the sight of a small but dangerous army… the Gung-Ho Guns, sans Legato and Midvalley, and Monev, who had been dealt with by now. They gasped as Dominique stepped forward, grinning darkly.

To be continued…

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            Thus concludes Chapter 3! ^_^ Wheeeee! Hopefully by now I've got some of you interested. And while I'm writing my little Author's Notes, I want to give a big, BIG arigato to Jay, spookysickness (Jhonen fan? Rock out!), Roxy, leboisduloup and Rem-chan. Thanks so much for reading and thanks even more for your kind reviews! ^_^

            I hope this chapter wasn't too bad; I like to have the previous chapters with me to make sure I get all the characters in the right places and continue the mood and situations right, but I wrote this chunk during the anime club screening and into English 110 a little… so I don't really know how well it'll blend in with the rest. Let me know, k?? That's all for now, so this is Naito Tenshi, signing out!


	4. Revelation

The Descent of the Second Sun

Author's ramblings- err, notes: Okay, here's the next chapter. I'm glad you guys seem to like it so far, partially because I was so convinced of its crappiness. ^_^; To update my thanking list, an arigato to Mali (wouldn't we all want to be all alone with Knives-sama? ^___^) and Lady Shadowcat. Now, on with Chapter 4.

CHAPTER 4; Revelation

            "Go ahead, preacher," Knives' tone was smooth, and rang with satisfaction, "Why don't you tell your 'friend' why you were really with him all that time?"

            Wolfwood looked down, and didn't say a word.

            "Legato," Knives nodded at his minion, and in response Legato narrowed his eyes at Wolfwood. As a result, Wolfwood's right arm was suddenly compressed very tightly, as if it were being squeezed very hard. He screamed out in pain. Vash nearly flinched and yelled out to Legato to stop, but caught himself at the last second.

            "Well?" Knives was addressing Wolfwood coolly once more, "Go on and tell him already. There's not a way out of it now."

            Wolfwood was breathing a bit more heavily now, despite the grip on his arm having been loosened. Knives smiled at him, giving him a moment to recover from the pain. Legato was sporting a very satisfied grin.

            "I…" Wolfwood began, looking at the ground.

            "Surely you don't mistake the ground for my brother?" Knives pestered of Wolfwood, "Why don't you look at him when you're speaking to him?"

            Wolfwood groaned, and turned to Vash, making his expression as apologetic as possible, and began, "Vash… I work for Knives."

            Vash's light green eyes widened and his jaw hung slightly open as Wolfwood continued.

            "When I was a kid, one of the Gung-Ho Guns, Chapel the Evergreen, trained me as a gunman… years after I had grown and left him, I was approached at my orphanage, and told it was time for me to pay them back for my training. So, Knives ordered me to go find you, stay with you and protect you, and then bring you to him so he could deal with you… personally."

            Vash continued to stare at Wolfwood, his expression still shocked, but stinging of anger and hurt. Wolfwood sighed and looked down at the ground.

            "Why, isn't that the most heart-wrenching scene?" Knives uttered from his chair, evoking a grin from Legato. Vash ignored the comment, but Wolfwood was now glaring at the ground, fists clenched.

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            "What are you going to do with us?" Meryl demanded of the Gung-Ho Guns, though she was in no position to be demanding anything; she was, at the moment, tied up along with Milly.

            There was no response. The Gung-Ho Guns picked them up and carried them across the desert. As they walked, they passed through a fertile, lively garden.

            "What is this place?" Milly wondered aloud.

            "Silence," commanded Rai-Dei.

            They were carried straight to an entranceway just outside the garden, and down into some sort of underground complex. They were greeted by Midvalley.

            "I see you've got them," Midvalley commented, smiling.

            "What are we doing with them?" Dominique questioned.

            "Legato says that Master Knives has a special plan for these two," Midvalley responded, leaning down into Meryl's face and grinning. She only glared back at him.

            A glance over to Milly told Meryl that her partner was close to tears. She, herself, was terrified at the moment as well, but she never showed her emotions quite as clearly as Milly did. Milly turned to look at her, and Meryl gave her the best reassuring smile she could manage, though she needed to be reassured every bit as much as Milly did.

To be continued…

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Gomen for the mega-short chapter! I'm uploading this at the same time as Chapter 5, though, so maybe that'll make up for it, just a little? ^_^;; Read and review, please?


	5. Betrayal

The Descent of the Second Sun

CHAPTER 5; Betrayal

            "Well, Vash," Knives spoke coldly, his back facing the other three that stood in the room, "Now I suppose you know the truth behind your so-called friend… I imagine you see even more clearly now, brother, that your previous defense of the humans has been wasted. Even this one, whose masquerade of friendship you were drawn into so easily, is no more than one of my servants."

            Vash's face was still in a combination of shock and horror, but it was rapidly turning to nothing but pure anger.

            "Why don't you show him to his room, Vash?" Knives suggested as he turned to face them, "I'd like for him to stick around for a bit."

            Vash nodded solemnly, and grabbed Wolfwood's wrists, pulling his arms behind his back, and leading him out of the room. Knives watched the two leave, his expression blank.

            "Legato," he spoke, his gaze unmoving, "I want you to check on our human guest later tonight. Make sure my brother hasn't been to kind to him. In the meantime, have Midvalley guard the room, and have the rest of your vermin bring the females to me."

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            "So, is this the life you've finally chosen?" Vash chose not to reply to Wolfwood's accusing questions, "Whatever happened to love and peace? You sure changed your tune fast."

            Vash continued to ignore Wolfwood. They reached a large, steel door. In front of the door stood Midvalley, who nodded at Vash and stepped aside. Vash shoved Wolfwood into the room, and slammed the door behind him.

            "Why didn't you tell me you were working for Knives?" Vash asked, his back to Wolfwood, who was now standing in the center of the small, unadorned, octagonal room, staring fiercely at the outlaw.

            "It's not exactly something I was proud of," Wolfwood responded, "And just how exactly do you think I would tell you and still be able to stick around you? You'd have gotten rid of me as soon as you could."

            "I would have understood," said Vash quietly, the slightest tone of anger coloring his voice, "if you had explained to me. I know Knives, Wolfwood, I know him better than he knows himself. He has ways of making anyone follow his command."

            "I see that includes you," Wolfwood retorted, still unsatisfied that Vash had ignored his earlier questioning.

            "That's what I would have him believe, yes," Vash spoke softly.

            "What?" Wolfwood was puzzled now, though he saw the beginnings of hope, "What do you mean, Vash?"

            "Look," Vash said, now turning to face Wolfwood, "I don't know why I'm trusting you after you've lied to me for so long, but… all I'm saying is that I'm not exactly on Knives' side. I haven't changed my views about a thing, and I don't plan on it, either."

            Wolfwood smiled, "Well, that's a relief…"

            Vash was still looking at him coldly. Wolfwood sighed in frustration.

            "Just what do I have to do to convince you that I'm not on their side?" the exasperated priest demanded.

            "There's not a thing you can do now," Vash replied solemnly, "But I imagine you'll get your chance, soon enough."

            "What are you going to do, anyway?" Wolfwood inquired, "You've said you haven't changed your views, so you're not going to kill them. What other way can you intend to stop them?"

            "I'll find a way," Vash's voice was soft, and he still wasn't being very kind towards Wolfwood.

            Wolfwood groaned, "Look, Tongari, I don't know where you got this stupid idea about saving everybody into your head from, but killing people like Legato and Knives is not a bad thing. They've killed more than their fair share, and the deaths you'll prevent by ridding us of scum like them are countless."

            "It's not my decision," Vash spoke, clearly fighting back rage from his voice.

            "Then who's going to make it?" Wolfwood retorted, "If you don't stop them, who do you think is going to? You can't just turn your back on it, Vash, because it's not going to go away. You're going to have to abandon that nonsense if you want anybody at all to live-"

            A black-gloved fist smacked straight into the right side of Wolfwood's jaw, cutting him off in the middle of his sentence. He staggered a bit, and then brought a hand up to his face, not really able to believe what had just happened. He slowly raised his eyes to meet Vash's, and found that the gunman was glaring furiously at him, his fist still clenched tight.

            "Vash…" Wolfwood's voice was a mixture of shock and regret as he uttered the name of the man who had been his friend. But no more words could come to his mouth. Vash's glare remained steady on him, and the blonde turned from him without a word, and slammed the door shut on his way out. The dark-clad priest was left alone, slumped on the floor, with a badly swollen cheek, feeling very much like the entire population of Gunsmoke wanted him dead.

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            "Legato," Midvalley greeted his superior with the proper amount of respect as he neared the room in which a certain Nicholas D. Wolfwood was being held.

            Legato nodded at Midvalley, and entered the room. Upon hearing the door open, Wolfwood raised his head. When he saw his newly arrived company, his expression dropped. This was probably the last person he wanted to see right now… no, wait, make that second to last, as long as Knives was still around.

            "Hello there, Priest," greeted Legato, his tone a cruel mocking of kindness, "And how are we feeling? Cheery and pleasant, I presume?"

            Wolfwood narrowed his eyes at the newcomer, but kept any comments to himself.

            "Oh, look at that," said Legato, reaching out a finger to touch Wolfwood's injured jaw, which caused Wolfwood to twist his mouth into a scowl, "My, did your dear friend do that to you? What could have made him so very angry?"

            Wolfwood glared at Legato, "Is there a reason you came or are you just here to make whatever's left of my life hell?"

            "Actually," Legato spoke, still all grins, "Master Knives asked me to see that his brother hadn't been too nice to you, but I can see that he hasn't."

            Wolfwood's frowning demeanor intensified.

            "I'm also here for my own reasons," Legato went on, "Such as getting some valuable information from you."

            "And what makes you think I'll tell you anything?" Wolfwood nearly growled rather than spoke.

            "Oh, but my dear preacher," Legato replied, with a smug grin, then pointed a finger to Wolfwood's forehead, "You already have."

            This caused Wolfwood to stare at Legato in terror. That meant that… he knew about Vash, didn't he? Legato's wide grin as Wolfwood thought that was answer enough for him. Legato rose slowly and left the room without a word.

            "…shit," Wolfwood muttered to himself.

To be continued…

Aiee! Chapter 5 is now complete. Actually, parts of this chapter were among the first scenes to spring to my mind when considering writing this fic. Hope you guys liked it. There's a lot more of this fic on the way…


	6. Faith

The Descent of the Second Sun

CHAPTER 6; Faith

            Vash returned to his room, now in a much worse mood than before. He slumped down on the couch and sat hunched over. A low sigh escaped his lips, and he rubbed his forehead with his hands. Wolfwood… the man he thought was his best friend… could he really be his enemy… and for all this time? Was their entire friendship just a lie? He leaned back, stretched out across it, staring at the ceiling. The idea had come to him a week or two ago to try this new tactic, and it had been going smoothly, until Wolfwood showed up. Why had he told him his plan? Even after all he'd done, Vash still trusted him… but why? How could you trust someone who'd been deceiving you like that?

            The door to his room opened slightly, making a slight creak. Vash turned his head to look at the door. Standing in the slightly opened doorway was Knives.

            "Hey, Vash," Knives greeted his brother happily, "Can I come in?"

            "Sure," Vash said, sitting up.

            Knives opened the door the rest of the way and stepped in, shutting it behind him. He walked over to the couch and sat next to Vash.

            "You know, Vash," Knives said, smiling, "It's really good to have you here. We can finally destroy the humans, side-by-side, just as I had envisioned…"

            Vash gave the most convincing smile he could.

            "But," Knives went on, "We'll get to that eventually. I've come to share an idea with you."

            Vash looked at his brother in confusion, "What's that, Knives?"

            "Just an experiment," Knives replied, "You know, Vash, we're the only of our kind… and even more to the point, there are no females. I know that we don't know much about how we came about, or just what will happen to us one day, but I can only assume that, despite our extended life spans, we will die eventually. If not naturally, a violent or accidental death could occur. And even if we don't, we would still be the only of our kind. But, this leads me to my idea, you see."

            Knives rose from his seat, and Vash's gaze followed him, intrigued and attentive to every word as he continued, "You see, I think I may have finally found some use for the humans. Say we take DNA of the plants, and introduce it into humans… perhaps it would cause them to change to something else, both human and plant at once, something like us."

            Vash's eyes widened. Could his brother be serious? This was sick…

            Knives turned to Vash, smiling, "We could extend our species using some of the humans, and destroy the rest of them."

            "But," Vash protested, "How do you know it will work?"

            "I don't," Knives responded, "But if anything goes wrong, the humans will probably just die."

            Vash hid any horror that caused him… that's right, humans were supposed to be nothing to him now. It would be okay if they died during the experiment; they weren't going to live anyway.

            "So," Knives went on, "I think we should begin this experiment as soon as possible… we can get started first thing tomorrow morning."

            "What about the humans? Who are we going to use?" Vash questioned his brother, dreading the reply. Knowing his brother, he'd pick Wolfwood…

            "I've picked up a couple of guinea pigs," Knives said, with a smirk, "You'll see tomorrow morning."

            "Right," Vash replied, as cheerfully as he could manage.

            "Now why not get some sleep, Vash?" Knives suggested kindly, "I'll bet you're tired from all that walking."

            "Yeah, I am," Vash admitted, finally able to say something truthfully.

            "Good night, brother," Knives said, smiling, "I love you." Just the slightest feeling of guilt tugged at Vash's soul as Knives spoke.

            "I love you, too, Knives," Vash replied, trying not to sound too hasty about it. If Knives noticed Vash's emotional pain, he didn't say anything, and merely gave a slight wave and left. Vash changed into his pajamas and collapsed on the bed. He hadn't lied; he did love his brother, regardless of what he had done and what he planned to do. Maybe that's why, even though he was doing all of this for Knives' own good, he felt so damn rotten about lying to him like this.

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            Creak. A sea green eye shot open.

            "What was that… ?" Vash sat up in bed. Wait, where was he? A moment's consciousness and memories came back to him. He rubbed sleep's blurriness from his eyes and looked around the room. It wasn't more than a couple of split-seconds before his eyes locked on the open door, spilling light into the otherwise pitch dark room.

            "Who's there?" he asked cautiously, scanning the room slowly with his eyes as they adjusted to the low light level. A low chuckle sounded from just behind him. He snapped his head around and was greeted with a dully glittering gold eye glaring at him out of the darkness.

            "Legato!" Vash exclaimed as quietly as possible, twisting himself around in the bed and backing away. There stood the intruder, against the wall, next to the bed. He was grinning at Vash.

            "Hello there," Legato greeted Vash, and added spitefully, "Master Vash."

            "Um, hi, Legato," Vash answered, not bothering to hide the fear in his voice. Something was wrong here. Legato must be on to him… if he wasn't, he'd never have dared to pull something like this.

            "What can I help you with?" Vash asked, trying to be as calm as possible.

            "Oh, nothing," Legato replied, "I just thought I'd let you know what I've found out."

            "What?" Vash's voice wavered as he asked.

            "I'm wise to your game, Vash," Legato said, smiling, "And if you'd like to keep your brother out of the little secret, you'd better start playing for real."

            Vash's eyes widened just a little. So, Legato did know. But how did he find out? He hadn't been reading his thoughts since earlier, and he hadn't- Wolfwood. The realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. So, Wolfwood had gotten that chance to prove himself as a friend… and he had failed. Legato grinned. There was that intrusion on his mind again.

            "You're a sharp one," Legato remarked, "Well, as long as you go along with Master Knives' wishes, I'll let you be… so, is it a deal then?"

            Vash stared at Legato for a few moments, and then finally voiced, "Yeah… it's a deal."

            After all, what choice did he have?

----------------

            "I'm scared…"

            Meryl put a hand on her friend's shoulder, "Yeah, so am I, Milly. But we have to keep faith that we'll be all right."

            "And where will faith get you?" a familiar voice uttered.

            The two girls turned. There was nobody there… in fact, the direction in which it had come from was a wall, with nothing but an air vent in the bottom. Meryl crawled over to the vent and peered through. The sight she was greeted with was about what she expected; an air duct, that plunged down into darkness directly below the vent. In fact, the one startling thing about the sight was that directly across from her was another vent… through which she could see Nicholas D. Wolfwood, slumped against the wall of another cell, his head hanging down, his arms resting on his knees.

            "Wolfwood!" she exclaimed.

            "I thought I told you girls not to come here," Wolfwood's tone was dark and miserable, "Though, I didn't really expect you to listen."

            Milly had crawled over to the vent as well, and now Meryl and Millie were smashed against each other in front of a very small vent.

            "But we couldn't listen, Mr. Priest!" protested Milly, sounding slightly heartened than before they had run into him, "We have to follow Vash wherever he goes!"

            Wolfwood sighed, then raised his head and looked at them through the vent, "I know that... but I think we're only getting in his way here. We're jeopardizing his plan."

            "What plan?" Meryl responded, blinking.

            "It's a long story," Wolfwood groaned, "A really long story… and I'm not so sure it'll have a happy ending."

            "We've got time," Milly responded perkily.

            Wolfwood sighed. He didn't know if that statement was entirely true. The insurance girls watched him with silent concern for a few moments.

            "Wolfwood," Meryl finally spoke up, "What did you mean by what you said earlier… about having faith?"

            "I've always had faith," he replied softly, "Always. No matter what terrible things happened to me, I always kept my faith. But now, here I am. And there's no light at the end of this tunnel. I've always kept my faith… I've always been a man of the cloth, almighty God's humble and loyal servant. I may have done some things wrong in my life, and while I take responsibility for my actions, I know that I had to do what I did, not only to protect myself, but to protect the children I cared for so much… but through it all, I kept my faith, I regretted what I did, and I prayed for a chance to lay that life behind me and to go and live in peace, even as I lived out that sinful life. But still I sit here, despite all of my faith, all of my remorse, all of my prayers… I know I'm not getting out of here alive, so where's my faith gotten me, I ask you?"

            The insurance girls sat in silence for a few moments.

            "But, Mr. Priest," Milly began timidly, "How do you know whether you're going to get out alive? You can't give up on your faith now, Mr. Priest. You need to believe that it will get you out of here eventually, and I believe that as long as you keep your faith near to your heart, it will all work out in the end."

            Wolfwood gazed at Milly. Here he was, the priest, and she was the one who was telling him to have faith… was she truly that innocent, that pure? Her bright eyes and brilliant smile answered that question for him. He let a small smile appear on his face.

            Milly beamed at his smile, and spoke again, "I'm sure everything will be okay, Mr. Priest. Vash will find a way to get us out of here! Right, Meryl?"

            Meryl now put on a small smile herself, "Right."

To be continued…


	7. Reunion

The Descent of the Second Sun  
  
CHAPTER 7  
  
Vash woke with a slight groan, glad to be through with the night. After Legato had left, he couldn't get back to sleep for quite some time; and when he did, he kept waking up every hour or so. He slowly rose from the bed, and padded slowly to the bathroom, heading for the shower. He'd have a long day ahead of him. Knives was likely to want to begin his little "experiment" as soon as possible, and with Legato watching his every move, he had no idea as to how he'd manage getting out of the situation.  
  
-----------------  
  
Meryl was awoken with a sharp kick to the stomach. After she finished coughing from the blow, she weakly opened her eyes and looked up, greeted with Midvalley glaring down at her. She grimaced at him.  
  
"Get up," he commanded coldly. She glanced over to Milly, who had already been awoken and was standing nearby, Dominique holding her firmly by the arm. Meryl struggled to her feet and Midvalley snatched her arm. The insurance girls were then dragged out of the cell and down the dark corridor.  
  
From the other cell, Wolfwood watched through the vent solemnly, concern for the girls dominating his expression.  
  
'Well.' he thought to himself, 'If Tongari plans on saving any of us, now might be a good time to leap in and do so.'  
  
He reached into his jacket, grabbing for the inside pocket. His fingers latched onto a lone cigarette. It was his last one. He pulled it out and looked at it, considering for a moment that it may very well be the last cigarette he would ever smoke. After a moment of this consideration, he shrugged, lit up, set it between his lips, and leaned back against the wall.  
  
-----------------  
  
Knives sat in his chamber, alone. Or at least that's what he would refer to it as; Legato was there, but Legato didn't count. He was looking down, idly tracing a finger along a plug on one of his hands. He heard the door creak and he looked up. A small grin spread across his face.  
  
"Ah, Hornfreak, Cyclops. Just who I was hoping to see," he stated as he stood, "And I see you've brought our guests, too."  
  
He sauntered forward, narrowing his eyes at Meryl and Milly with a slight smirk. Milly looked terrified of him; Meryl looked like she wanted to rip his head off.  
  
"And just who the hell do you think you are treating people like this!?" Meryl began ranting, "You think you can just push us around and-"  
  
Her rant was cut off when a white-gloved hand backhanded her across the face, "Don't go off on me, you worthless vermin. That's a question I should be asking you; your kind has seen fit to do so to my people for countless years."  
  
Meryl blinked a couple of times, but then began to growl at the blonde man, voicing snappishly, "Vermin!? I'll have you know that I am a human being and deserve to be treated as such!!"  
  
A vicious grin spread across Knives' face at that point, "And that's exactly what I'm doing. so I don't see what you're so upset about."  
  
The other door to the room, located directly behind Knives, opened, and Vash stepped in.  
  
"Morning, Knives. I-" he froze in mid-sentence, staring wide-eyed at the captives Knives had with him. Knives turned towards him, smiling, and the girls did so as well, their expressions portraying complete shock.  
  
"Mr. Vash!?" Milly questioned in disbelief.  
  
"Hey, Vash! Good morning!" Knives greeted his brother.  
  
"What are you doing, Vash?" Meryl asked, slack-jawed.  
  
Vash opened his mouth, then closed it again. His glance traveled from Knives to the girls, then rested on Legato a few moments, and returned to Knives. He put on his best act as he replied.  
  
"Why, I'm just taking my place," Vash voiced darkly, stalking towards the girls and Knives, "It's high time for this planet to be rid of your disgusting human species."  
  
His brother turned back towards the girls with a wide grin. The girls blinked in disbelief, mouths hanging open.  
  
"But Vash-" Meryl spoke softly, gazing at him with pleading eyes.  
  
"Shut up," Vash met her with a false - but very convincing - glare, "You insect."  
  
Meryl tried her absolute hardest to hide the hurt from her eyes, but it was useless. She looked to be on the verge of tears. Milly looked as if she wanted to comfort Meryl quite badly, but knew she was in no position to do so, considering she was surrounded by people she considered to be scary and not very nice at all. Her glance traveled to Vash a few times, incredulous and as angry as she dared to show, but she didn't speak.  
  
'Very good, outlaw,' Legato's mental voice poured through Vash's mind, smooth and dark, 'Why, just look at her pain. She cares for you, you know. And quite deeply at that. I would, perhaps, go as far as to call it love. And here you've gone and shattered her heart. Really, though, a lowly human couldn't expect their love for a superior being to be reciprocated. After all, she'll be long dead and dissolved to dust before you get your first wrinkle.'  
  
Vash kept his glare steady, carefully controlling his emotions and thoughts. He made no response to Legato; not verbal, physical or mental. As Legato had used quite careful mental shields to deliver his message solely to Vash, and the plant was occupied studying his captives, Knives didn't notice the mental words, and cut off what he perceived to be silence by turning to his brother with a question.  
  
"Well then, Vash, shall we go ahead with our little experiment?" He asked, his eyes drifting sideways towards the females, who both responded to this question with fearful expressions.  
  
Vash blinked very slowly, and voiced, "These. these are your 'guinea pigs'?"  
  
"Sure are," Knives said, a smirk on his face, "They followed you, the idiots. I have you to thank, brother. You led them straight to our clutches."  
  
Vash glanced at the girls, his eyes unclear what emotion he was feeling, and he spoke softly, yet pointedly, "Yeah, even after I told them countless times not to follow me. but what else would you expect from a couple of humans?" Vash hoped his last-minute cover-up tacked on to the end of his statement wasn't too sloppy. 


End file.
